The Stupidity and Foolishness of Social Media

Monday, February 23, 2015

I’m finding it really hard to understand the nonsense going on around social media now, especially Instagram, as many people complain. The nudity, endless pouting, pushing out of hips, look-at-the-ground pose, like you are looking for a lost coin, endless pictures of oneself on the internet is just appalling. I don’t have an Instagram account, so thankfully I have been spared from all these, but I hear endless complaints about this every day.

Some people might ask me why I am beefing. Is it them that sent me message not to like dressing up and taking pictures, not to know how to take a selfie. I am sorry o, I am not beefing. I am only saying I don’t understand, so if you are one of these people or you know them, please seat me down, and explain to me.

Why are people getting so narcissistic? Are they using it to oppress people? Are they using it to validate themselves? Or are they using it to seek validation from people? Why can’t we validate ourselves in the middle of our rooms? Why do we need social media to validate ourselves?

Gone are the days when the in-thing was to post graduation pictures from Stanford, imperial college, Harvard, and the likes to earn admiration of people.

I once had one guy who claimed to like me, disturbing me with talks of how he must marry me. I went to his facebook page to find a little more about him, cos we were not really close in unilag days. I followed his IG app on his facebook page, and saw the kinds of pictures he was liking. They were all Nigerian girls, but my jaw dropped. I was DISGUSTED. Girls with heavily endowed booty and boobs will wear the tightest things, and then turn the backside to the camera. “Why do you want the whole world to see your backside?” Please, someone should explain. And then this guy will enter comments like “nice arse” and the girls will reply “thanks.” "Someone wake me up, I have fainted." I felt like puking. I thanked God then that I didn’t have an IG account.

Anyway, since this guy threatened me that he will marry me, I just jejely reported myself to my pastor saying “If I should ever bring a guy called xxx to you as a fiancée, never ever let me go through with the wedding.” Yes, I did that. I don’t joke with accountability. When guys like that threaten that they must get a girl, there’s no extent they won’t go to, including forming MFM stunts that they’ve repented.

I know a chronic womaniser on facebook who has children from multiple women. Till now, he does not take care of his kids or bear their financial burden. Anyway, he finally gets married to a woman who was not any of his baby mamas. His wife puts up a picture of her and hubby, and someone (most likely from the woman’s family, since I know everyone in the man’s family) puts up a comment saying “I just love this family.” I told my sister about it, and we were like “ehn ehn, so this is how people see pictures on the internet, and will be envying, not knowing what they are envying.” This is how people deceive people on the internet.

Now as for the celebrities flaunting wealth on the internet, as in raw cash and latest cars, I think that is the height of immaturity. I don’t know if because many of them just made such amount of money for the first time, or because they want to oppress their rivals. I honestly don’t know the reason, but it is completely crap. I read that some of them said they do it because they want to inspire others to work hard and be wealthy like them. Imagine! Someone that has not organised a seminar to help the creative industry in Nigeria or the world, or given a single music scholarship out is talking about inspiring. Issorait.

If you are one of the people oppressed by any of the categories mentioned or not mentioned in this post, well, let me tell you that respite has come. There is no need to feel bad or be oppressed, because 99% of the time, everything is a LIE!

Anyway, whether it is the nudity on Instagram, the endless selfies and pouting and posing on Instagram, the lies about how our lives are perfect on facebook, flaunting of cash, cars, and champagne, we must all agree that there’s a menace, and we can no longer shut our eyes, pretending that it is not happening.

I am not sure there’s anything we can do about it than to keep talking about it till the guilty parties know that it is not okay to flaunt boobs, cash, latest clothes, and all sorts on social media. That way, maybe the menace will reduce, and it won’t be cool anymore. Or maybe I am just indulging in wishful thinking because I am not sure I see it getting better.

I just pity the next generation, to whom all these things might seem normal. Sometimes, I am just glad I will be dying in the next 60 to 70 years, because I am not sure how much more of this nonsense I can take without saying “Can somebody just kill me now?”

45 comments

Hmm...sadly ehn Atilola, it's not a trend that will go anytime soon or I might be wrong sha. Considering that it's more than a decade since the craze began (talking of Facebook's introduction in 2004).

"I just pity the next generation" I couldn't agree more. Vanity, upon Vanity...All this is vanity. My the Lord help us to not get sucked in this wave of behaviours and overly self-conscious/centerdness.

You have hit every single nail on the head. Every last one. What drives me bonkers is that after a while, we all start to look the same. 3 panel fashion pose on instagram. Look left, look right, look down.Hashtag ducklips. #contouring #IsItYourMoney , #business class flight, #laulauspending #Dubai for the weekend#ILoveMyLifeI read somewhere that it's not that we've become more vain as a society...so much as it is that we've become more aware of our vanity...because we have more avenues to express it in.Na wa o. Na real wa.

Seriously they both just gave me a very good evening belly rocking laughter. On a more serious note I believe life is for living, abeg whatever makes you happy just do it as long as you do not hurt anyone in the process.Even at that I must say I really don't understand severe over sharers o! #EverythingHappeingInMyLifeMustGoOnSocialMedia Or those depicting any sort of false lifestyle #TheFakelauluaSpenders. But again what's my business? Did I buy them the phone or pay their monthly subscription fee?....moving to sip my tea and posting striaght on #Insta lol.

Correctly said, Ngozi. Please, why o why should we know what's going on in people's lives by them giving us minute by minute update. If as they claim it is none of our business, they why are they telling us, thereby making it our business. It's like beating someone up, and telling the person not to shout.

I have an instagram account but it is a locked account and I only allow friends and family to follow me. Like Berry said, you share a bit of your life with your loved ones who don't get to see you everyday. BUT I totally agree that social media continues to be saturated by attention seekers who like to give people the illusion of living a great life when truly, it is all a sham. Social media exploits the shortcomings and misgivings of the weak and provides the narcissists an unregulated platform. It is sickening a lot of times but I adopt the live and let live approach. If your lifestyle and what you stand for does not appeal to me, I will not follow you and would rather you did not follow me either. It's a sign of the times we live in. Poor next generation. May God help them.

Inasmuch as i have an IG account,it was for the sole intention of letting my family and friends follow up on stuffs about me.But somehow i got a little caught in the narcissistic web of IG.(I will do a review of my IG page).Truth is,social media equals narcissism,your appended images back up my submission.However,the nudity just takes it to a whole new level.Well,it goes a long way to tell us narcissism doesn't mean self confidence.Now,time to go and clean-up my IG...shamefully!

Lol, pele. You Know yourself better than us all. You know your motives. If you think you crossed the line, like we have all done in different areas of our lives, then you can always retrace your steps.

Because i am on a fitfam journey, i post my workout pictures from time to time. I am also and have never been fan of those who posts their outfit and do all the funny poses. I am a strong believer of doing things moderately. I have even considered making my account private a lot of times as the thought of random people going through my pictures make me paranoid.

Just like you, some guy who was toasting me back in the Uni days started following me on IG and i obliged his follow back request. Everytime i'm on IG, all i see are his likes on pictures of almost naked girls, i had to check who he was following and behold 99% of them were girls with huge boobs and ass and i just quickly unfollowed.

I feel sorry for the next generation cos nothing is left of our morals. The situation is really pathetic to say the least.

I agree with the post. Some start out as just wanting to share regular stuff in their lives with friends and family...soon it's taken to another level if not checked. sometimes it's like a competition.... to get the most likes, followers, comments etc.